Proof that working forever might not be so terrible after all

When thinking of how Fashion Police host Joan Rivers eschews exercise—"If God had wanted me to bend over, He would have put diamonds on the floor"—one can't help but wonder how she does it. True, Rivers, who has taken over the E! Network this week to celebrate her 80th birthday, has chalked up longevity to laughter, we think there's a little more to it than that. And a study published by the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Age Endeavour Fellowship may have the answer: work.

UK researchers conducted a statistical analysis of over 7,000 European individuals ages 50 to 70 to see the kind of impact retirement has on a person's health. While most of us dream of days at the beach instead of the office, retirement, it turns out, isn't such a good idea. (On the other hand, vacations are a different story.)

Not when the study found it decreases the likelihood of "very good” or "excellent" self-reported health by 40%, increases risk for depression by 40% and diagnosis of a physical condition by 60%. While researchers note that health effects of retirement may vary based on the type of work a person does, the average effect among all workers is an issue, says the study.

Based on these findings, researchers believe that there shouldn't be a "normal" retirement age, and that workers coming up on retirement are an "untapped potential."

Something, it seems, Rivers has figured out. Apart from hosting Fashion Police on E!, the comedienne stars alongside her daughter, Melissa Rivers, in Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best? on WEtv, designs a jewelry and apparel collection for QVC, has 11 published books and absolutely no sign of stopping.

"I feel 25 [or] 35," Rivers tells People Magazine. "I take the stairs. Everything is working. I perform, make people happy, get a check. What could be nicer?"